Harper's Corner Trail

Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado

Harper's Corner Trail is a hiking trail in Moffat County, Colorado. It is within Dinosaur National Monument. It is 1.1 miles long and begins at 7,579 feet altitude. Traveling the entire trail is 2.2 miles with a total elevation gain of 528 feet. Near the trailhead there are restrooms and an information board. Along the trail there is a cliff. The trail ends near the Harper's Corner (elevation 7,516 feet) viewpoint.

Harper's Corner Trail

Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado

Harper's Corner Trail is a hiking trail in Moffat County, Colorado. It is within Dinosaur National Monument. It is 1.1 miles long and begins at 7,579 feet altitude. Traveling the entire trail is 2.2 miles with a total elevation gain of 528 feet. Near the trailhead there are restrooms and an information board. Along the trail there is a cliff. The trail ends near the Harper's Corner (elevation 7,516 feet) viewpoint.

Harper's Corner Trail is a hiking trail in Moffat County, Colorado. It is within Dinosaur National Monument. It is 1.1 miles long and begins at 7,579 feet altitude. Traveling the entire trail is 2.2 miles with a total elevation gain of 528 feet. Near the trailhead there are restrooms and an information board. Along the trail there is a cliff. The trail ends near the Harper's Corner (elevation 7,516 feet) viewpoint.

"Despite the fact that Dinosaur National Monument is best known for its paleontological resources, there is only one place in the entire 210,844-acre monument where you can see dinosaur bones: at the Dinosaur Quarry in the far west end of the monument. What this unit of the National Park system does have in prodigious supply, however, are slickrock canyons, lonesome mesas, and miles of pristine river corridor. The short but highly scenic Harpers Corner Trail offers a memorable look at these treasures." Read more

"Dinosaur National Monument is spread over 210,000 acres along the Colorado/Utah border. The Colorado side is known for spectacular canyon country while the famous Dinosaur Quarry and Visitor Center resides in Utah. The Harpers Corner Road begins in Colorado and swings into Utah, then back into Colorado along a 32-mile scenic drive that includes overlooks of the Yampa and Green Rivers." Read more

"For those who enjoy up-close and personal dramas, ones that have allowed geologists and botanists to unlock mysteries of the past, Harpers Corner may satisfy that urge. But because most won’t have the geological or botanical insights of a research scientist, we won’t make Harpers Corner a mystery walk. Still, as you begin your hike, you might start with a puzzle. Begin by questioning the presence of the reddish rocks along the trail. How did they get here? The rock is a type of sandstone, and if you examine one you’ll see it is composed of a fine sand that pressure has compacted into a solid piece. Despite its compact appearance, if you tapped it with a light hammer, the rock would crack apart, revealing a sand-like consistency. Put another way, how can this sandstone be higher than its source of origin? To answer that question we must look for additional clues. Look now at some of the other rocks along the trail, and you may see they are embedded with fossils." Read more